Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson shoots down retirement suggestions, insists ‘if I’m fighting, I’m looking for the title’

Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson knows he needs a win in his upcoming fight against Kevin Holland after suffering two straight losses but none of that means he’s putting himself in a do-or-die situation.

Despite being a stalwart in the welterweight rankings for the better part of the last decade, the now 39-year-old veteran suddenly starting hearing suggestions that he should consider retirement after his last loss against Belal Muhammad.

“I can’t believe people are saying that I’m old and I should retire,” Thompson said on his YouTube channel just days after his loss. “I feel better than I was five years ago. I just don’t get it.”

Fast forward 11 months after Thompson dealt with a collarbone injury that prevented him from returning at an earlier date and his demeanor hasn’t changed at all. In fact, Thompson insists that he’s still gunning for the opportunity to become a UFC champion after coming up short in two previous fights with the welterweight title on the line.

“If I’m fighting, I’m looking for the title,” Thompson said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I’m still going for the title. I’m not giving up on it. I feel good. I’m 39, I’ll be 40 in February and I feel like I’ve still got more in me.”

Thompson understands the prisoner-of-the-moment mentality in mixed martial arts where fighters are seemingly only as good as their last performance.

By that standard, he’s definitely faced some long odds lately, especially with his last two opponents employing a grappling-heavy strategy to essentially negate his highlight-reel striking. Thompson fully acknowledges that both Muhammad and Gilbert Burns exploited a part of his game that’s long been considered a weakness but that’s certainly not going to convince him to quit fighting.

If anything, Thompson says losing that way only pushed him that much more to come back and try again.

“I know there’s a slew of high-level wrestlers in the welterweight division, especially in the top 10,” Thompson said. “So for this camp and every camp on, I’m still trying to improve the wrestling and get better at it.

“Coming in fairly later in the game and mostly doing striking and playing catch up with my wrestling and jiu-jitsu, it’s kind of like my No. 1 priority, especially after losing to those two guys by wrestling. Not just guys holding me there but guys win that way. I’ve got to be able to nullify those guys and to be able to not let that happen.”

While wrestling and grappling have been a big part of his focus for the past year, Thompson may not have to use much of what he’s learned in his next fight against another noted striker in Holland.

A former middleweight turned welterweight, Holland has been a fun addition to the 170-pound division and he was on quite a role until he opted to take a catchweight fight against Khamzat Chimaev on 24 hours’ notice that ultimately ended with a first-round submission loss.

That setback didn’t seem to harm Holland’s appeal all that much, however, because it was barely a couple of weeks later when the UFC was asking him to headline the upcoming card on Dec. 3 against Wonderboy.

For his part, Thompson was admittedly excited to go up against an opponent who will almost assuredly look to stand and trade with him even as he’s looking to prove his grappling has improved.

“He’s 6-foot-3, he’s got an 80-inch reach, which is going to be a fun way of trying to figure out a way to get around that reach,” Thompson said. “It’s like a game plan itself and having to adapt out there because I don’t know what else he’s worked on. He’s one of those guys that gets better as he continues to fight.”

Long considered one of the most exciting and unpredictable fighters in the UFC, Thompson would like show how he earned that reputation when he clashes with Holland on Saturday.

Thompson hopes his performance in this fight will silence the critics who suddenly started calling for his retirement while also sending a message to the welterweight division that he’s not going anywhere just yet.

“It’s kind of a way to show not just the guys in the UFC but people those last two fights who have said I’m a bum, kind of go back and remind them I’m still one of the top welterweights in the UFC and you’ve still got to watch out for Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson,” Thompson said.

“It’s a time to go out there and do it and put on a show. That’s what we do. I want to go out there and let everybody know I’m still here.”